High tea. For most Americans it used to be the only tolerable meal in the U.K. But the farm-to-table movement that swept the globe has changed all that and it’s not surprising Scotland continues to lead a charge in Britain: Its traditional ways of ranching and farming were always about local goods, sustainably and deliciously raised. Today’s Scottish chefs mature in a culture of nurturing the land. Just outside each city, green fields of short grass and gentle hills unfold as far as the eye can see. Lakes and streams run clean and the tap water tastes pure. In such an environment, cattle, sheep, fish, dairy and fresh produce abound.

So, fine dining establishments easily put on tasting menus of seven courses or more with seasonal ingredients. It’s all with a Scots’ eye toward good value. Sometimes “a la carte” offerings are actually reasonably priced three-course prix fixe menus. But don’t get the idea that the top dining rooms are inexpensive. Miss your reservation at The Gleneagles Hotel and it will still cost more than 100 pounds per person.
Worth it? Yes. Even steakhouses such as the Butcher Shop in Glasgow serve superb aged angus beef and soulful fresh pea soup with ham hock. The National Museum’s café in Edinburgh dishes up smoky Cullen Skink, a traditional chowder, along with stellar salads, sandwiches, wines and cocktails that locals say draw bigger crowds than the exhibits on many weekends.

So it’s worth reserving in finer restaurants and taking the time to explore quick service offerings, from pub fare to fish and chips. The national dish, haggis, turns up everywhere served on nachos, in burritos, as a chip flavoring and with the usual neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes).

We did finally try a bite as an appetizer in a Glasgow airport bar, rolled in panko crumbs and fried like hush puppies, it reminded us of arancini, albeit with a gently liver-like flavor and steel-cut oats providing texture.
While haggis and single malt scotch remain sturdy mainstays, those weren’t the flavors we most remember of Scotland. Too many haute cuisine show-stopppers took our breath away, each bite sprung from a gentle countryside filled with pristine ingredients.

There aren’t as many Michelin starred restaurants as in France but if you can only get to a couple on your trip, make sure you visit Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and The Kitchin in Edinburgh. It’s easy to reserve online at the restaurant’s websites.

Comparing the two fine dining rooms makes an instructive study in contrasts. Fairlie’s is the only two-star Michelin restaurant in Scotland and up-and-comer called The Kitchin is a one-star run by Tom Kitchin, a former protégé of Pierre Koffmann who now has his own restaurant on Commercial Street in a gentrifying neighborhood that used to be a wharf district. Kitchin has worked with Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse and with Fairlie at Gleneagles.

At both restaurants it’s mostly about using French techniques to showcase the freshest Scottish ingredients. But where Kitchin—the youngest Michelin starred chef in Scotland—is all rustic and nationalistic, Fairlie is old school.

At The Kitchin, staffers in pleated gray kilts, scurry through a dining room with banquettes upholstered in plaid, carrying hand-thrown ceramic dishes to tables with purse stools covered in unruly wooly stuff—you feel like you’re placing your designer evening bag on a sheep’s backside. At Fairlie it’s all white linen, orchids in the loo, waiters in suits and dark aprons, and a know-it-all male somm who whispers.

The food is exceptional at both places but more consistent at Fairlie. So, it’s really a matter of style as to which you might prefer. Fairlie’s rose veal and lamb are served in two or three preparations, a la Michael Mina, with all kinds of acoutrements. The veal is unforgettable, a baby beef, not white and tasteless but tender as filet mignon and flavorful as New York steak.

The difference between the restaurants is especially striking in dishes with the same main ingredients. At The Kitchin, Hand-Dived Orkney scallops are served in the shell that’s encased in puff pastry but underneath the showy presentation it’s just a ho-hum coquille St. Jacques variation. At Fairlie, scallops are seared separately and served with scallops crudo and micro greens, then drizzled at table with a lime/elderflower vinaigrette whose scent lofts the dish toward nirvana.

Fairlie also outperforms Kitchin on the simplest dessert: Mille-feuille with fresh fruit. The Kitchin’s version has sorbet and basil tucked into three crispy pastries –not the thousand layers of the title – and sloppy strawberry sauce. Fairlie’s has the lightest crispest layers with tiny beads of whipped cream piped in and the sweetest local strawberries, clotted cream ice cream is served on the side.

Yes, Fairlie’s got the top notch staff – likely an invisible army behind the kitchen door – that makes the difference when it comes to execution. Both will cost you dearly but what remains are the vivid flavors, and Fairlie wins that battle hands down.

Of course, the dedicated gourmand has dined like this in London, Paris and just about everywhere else they take credit cards. So if you want the finest cuisine in Scotland, reserve at Fairlie. But if you want to know where Scottish cuisine is headed, with risk taking preparations of native ingredients all packaged and delivered with a rustic groove, choose The Kitchin. You might just find yourself thinking and talking about this scrappy newcomer long after the sublime flavors of Fairlie’s veal have faded.

Anne Valdespino never intended to be an editor. She’s just another writer who took a wrong turn. Nevertheless, she’s happily editing features, including food, travel and OCHOME magazine. A former editor at the Los Angeles Times and Orange Coast magazine, Anne started out as an entertainment writer at The Orange County Register. She has come full circle and is back where she belongs.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.